Compressed-air operated cleaning apparatus



Feb. 9, 96@ c. A. HUBER COMPRESSED-AIR OPERATED CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 14, 1956 COMPRESSED-AIR OPERATED CLEANEJG APPARATUS Charies A. Huber, Geneva, Switzerland Application August 14, 1956, Serial No. 604,03@

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-330) The present invention relates to a compressed-air operated cleaning apparatus for use, for example, in cleaning vehicles, such as automobiles and the like, in connection with compressed-air sources.

It is a prime object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus of this type which is of extremely simple construction and thus economical to manufacture, strong and of very good eiiiciency and easy handling.

For this purpose the cleaning apparatus according to the invention consists of a cylindrical tube having a tapered end and a connecting block mounted exteriorly of said tube and provided with two inner conduits of small diameter with respect to the inner diameter of said tube, said two conduits beginning at opposite faces of the block and opening axially into said tube in such a way that compressed air fed to either one of said conduits produces a strong air current in said tube which when used in one direction serves as a vacuum cleaner and in the other direction as a blower for cleaning in the rst case by aspiration and in the second case, by scavenging under the action of the compressed-air flow.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, and in which reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, showing a longitudinal section through a cleaning apparatus according to the invention.

ln the drawing reference numeral 1 designates a tube having a cylindrical portion and a tapered end, the two open ends being designated by 2 and 3, respectively. Preferably this tube will be chosen with a length of about 50 cm. and with an inner diameter of 28 mm. for the cylindrical portion and of 26 mm. for the tapered end. Reference numeral 4 designates a connecting block which in the illustrated embodiment is made of one piece with the tube l and which is provided with two inner conduits 5 and 6 respectively, being of small diameter, for example 3 mm., with respect to the inner diameter of tube l. These two conduits 5 and 6 open one beside the other as at 7 in a block 7 within the tube 1 and are directed towards the non-tapered end 2 of the tube. The conduits 5 and 6 are each connected with their other end to threaded borings 8 and 9, respectively, provided in opposite surfaces 10 and 11 of the connecting block li. Into each of these borings there is threaded a nipple 12 and 13, respectively, these two nipples extending in opposite directions in parallel to the axis of tube ll. These nipples are of usual construction and are adapted to be connected easily to compressed-air plants as are usually found in garages and the like.

The described cleaning apparatus operates as follows:

As soon as one of the nipples 12 and 13 is connected to an appropriate source of compressed-air, there is produced within tube 1 a strong air current in the direction 2,923,959 Patented Feb. 9, 1960 indicated by arrows in the drawing, so that the tapered end 3 of the tube 1 constitutes a suction opening while the end 2 of the tube acts as a blower. Of course the same result could be obtained with only one inner conduit in the block and one connecting nipple; however the provision of two nipples at opposite sides of the block has the advantage that the feeding conduit for the compressed-air from the source thereof to the cleaning apparatus enters the latter always from behind and may be interchanged when the apparatus is used as a blower or as a vacuum cleaner. Thus when the cleaning apparatus is used to clean by a blowing action, the feeding conduit for the compressed air will be branched to nipple 12 so that the work may be executed without any hindrance by this feeding conduit.

When the cleaning apparatus is to be used as vacuum cleaner, i.e., when an operator works with the tapered end 3 of tube 1, the feeding conduit for the compressed air will preferably be connected to nipple .13. ln the latter case it may be desirable to provide the blowing end of the tube with a bag for collecting the dust or with a conduit of a certain length permitting evacuation of the dust outwardly away from the vehicle to be cleaned. The tapered end of the tube may be arranged to receive several accessories of the type usually used in connection with vacuum cleaners.

While l have shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, l do not limit myself to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove, except as hereinafter ciaimed.

l claim:

l. A compressed-air operated cleaning apparatus cornprising a cylindrical tube having a cylindrical and a tapered end, threaded nipples parallel to said tube and extending in opposite directions, a connecting block mounted externally of and on said tube and provided with two inner conduits of small diameter with respect to the inner diameter of said tube, said two conduits each having an outer end in one of two opposite faces of the block, said outer ends of the conduits being provided with an inner thread extending in parallel to the axis of the tube and being each adapted to receive one of said nipples for connection to a compressed-air source, the other ends of said conduits constituting inner ends and opening in parallel into said tube in the direction of the axis of the latter and toward the cylindrical end so that compressed-air fed to either one of said conduits through said nipples produces a strong air current in said tube whereby the tapered end of the tube is adapted to be used as a vacuum cleaner and the cylindrical end as a blower for cleaning purposes.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a block on and internally of the tube, said conduits extending through the block and opening in the same direction and in parallel to the axis of the tube.

`rteferences Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,091,642 Lingenbrink Aug. 3l, 1937 2,143,296 Beeman lan. l0, 1939 2,707,874 Glover May 10, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 350,537 France Apr. 14, 1905 659,365 Germany May 2, 1938 204,825 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1939 

